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Johannesburg - The Independent Police Investigative
Directorate (IPID) confirmed on Friday, that it has received allegations of
defeating the ends of justice against national police commissioner Riah
Phiyega.

"The matter does not fall under the matters
investigated by the IPID. So the executive director of the IPID will assess it
and make a decision on whether it must be investigated by the IPID,"
spokesperson Moses Dlamini said.

The case was reported on Wednesday. Phiyega said the
allegations against her "will not stick".

"You can try as much as you like, but you will not
succeed. No mud thrown at me will stick," she said in a statement on
Friday morning in response to a report in The Star.

"I remain determined to ensure that nothing,
absolutely nothing, deters me and my leadership team from the new journey of
rebuilding the SAPS [SA Police Service], especially the crime intelligence
division."

The Star reported on Friday that Phiyega allegedly tipped
off a senior police officer, who allegedly accepted a bribe from a criminal,
that crime intelligence was investigating him.

But Phiyega denied tipping off the officer, saying he had
become aware of the investigation after the DA asked a question about it in
Parliament.

Calls for
investigation

DA spokesperson Dianne Kohler-Barnard said because the
allegations against Phiyega were serious it was important for her actions to be
investigated.

"If commissioner Phiyega is innocent, she should not
oppose an investigation. Indeed she should encourage one."

Kohler-Barnard said the reputation of the police could
not continue to be battered by "dodgy and corrupt officials".

Phiyega said it was "interesting" that the
allegations surfaced from "faceless people" shortly after her
decision to put former acting crime intelligence boss Major General Chris
Ngcobo on special leave. A vetting process found discrepancies in Ngcobo's
qualifications.

Phiyega said she was not formally informed of the case of
defeating the ends of justice against her, but was aware of the allegations.

They were from people who wanted to discredit her. She
said it came as no surprise given some of the "mischievous activities
conducted by crime intelligence in the past", Phiyega's office said in the
statement.

"It is clear that this is a lame attempt by certain
individuals within crime intelligence to discredit her and derail the process
of flushing out those within the SAPS, who have no integrity and have no
interest in taking the SAPS forward," her office said.

Ngcobo on special
leave

Phiyega placed Ngcobo on special leave on Monday,
instructing that criminal investigations and disciplinary action against him be
initiated.

Major General Bongiwe Zulu assumed Ngcobo's role until
further notice.

The Star, quoting "highly placed sources", said
Ngcobo instructed crime intelligence officers to open the case against Phiyega
on 19 October.

Explaining the alleged tip-off she gave, Phiyega said a
question was received in Parliament and during the process of gathering
information to enable the police to prepare a response, the DA enquiry ended up
in a provincial commissioner's office after passing through various officials.

At that point the commissioner called Phiyega to ask
about the investigation, so it could not be argued that she alerted the
commissioner about the investigation, her office said.

"Simply put, the national commissioner committed no
crime," the statement read.

Kohler-Barnard said she would write to the police
ministry to ascertain what steps were being taken to gain clarity. She would
also follow up on her original question in Parliament.

The SA Police Union (Sapu) called on President Jacob Zuma
to relieve Phiyega of her duties.

"The latest controversy around General Phiyega adds
to the many costly blunders the national commissioner has committed since taking
office," spokesperson Solly Bulala said in a statement.

"Sapu calls upon President Jacob Zuma to convene a
board of inquiry into the fitness of General Phiyega to hold office. The SAPS
can ill afford to have such a character at its helm. It is clear that the
general is a liability."

Sapu called on Phiyega to take a leave of absence to
avoid dragging the police's name through the mud.

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